Venison Tenderloin Recipe - Pan Seared Deer Tenderloin (2024)

FAQs

What do you soak deer tenderloins in? ›

Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don't find it all that helpful.

Backstraps are the large muscles that run parallel along both sides of a deer's spine and rest on top of the ribcage, whereas the tenderloins are much smaller, and are located inside the abdominal cavity underneath the backstrap and the spine.

Venison doneness temperatures

You can cook the tender, steaky cuts of venison to the same doneness levels as you would beef, namely 130–135°F (54–57°C) for medium rare and 135–145°F (57–63°C) for medium. Hitting those temperatures just right is important for maximum enjoyment.

Deer meat, also known as venison, is often soaked in a marinade before cooking to help tenderize the meat and reduce any gamey flavor. This marinade could include ingredients like red wine, vinegar, olive oil, and various spices.

People have been soaking venison and other proteins in milk or buttermilk for years. The claim is that the acidic or low ph level helps to break down the tissue to tenderize the meat while also ridding the meat of a powerfully “gamey” or wild/iron-like flavor.

"Freshly butchered venison — especially when it is in rigor mortis — will be super tough," Cihelka said. When rigor mortis sets in, the animal stiffens. Hanging the animal prevents the muscles along the spine from shortening. This is why backstraps and tenderloin are tender.

Once you've got your deer, elk, or other venison dressed, aged and butchered, you're left with a variety of cuts. Some, like the backstraps and well-named tenderloin, can be as soft as butter. Others, particularly those from the neck, front shoulder, shanks and parts of the hindquarter, are generally tough.

The tenderloin is the first cut that is usually taken off a deer. This cut is so tender that it should be treated simply – salt and pepper is all it needs, with a quick hot sear with butter on the grill or in a pan.

Naturally tender cuts like loins and tenderloin take well to high heat grilling, pan searing, or stuffing and trussing and should be served rare to medium rare. Here's my recipe for how to cook Chili Cocoa Crusted Venison Loin. Tougher muscles from the shoulder, shank or neck should be braised or stewed slow and low.

You can simply pat the venison dry and season with salt and pepper before cooking, or you can marinate the cut of meat for a few hours or overnight. Personally, when it comes to venison steak and venison backstrap, I like to use a simple marinade to enhance the flavor of the venison without overpowering it.

Can you eat venison rare? ›

Venison is best rare to medium but if you prefer your meat well done then its best to use one of our boned, rolled venison shoulder joints and cook it slowly with some liquid to stop it drying out.

Tender cuts of venison should be prepared using quick cooking methods to a rare or medium-rare level of doneness (internal temperature of 120° to 135° F). If it is prepared past medium-rare too much moisture will be cooked out causing the meat to become dry and tough.

Actually, because of how lean the meat is, it's actually PREFERRED to eat deer meat medium rare. There's really very little fat in venison, so it's a pretty tricky meat to cook quickly. Most wild game cooks recommend medium-rare because if too much moisture is cooked out of the meat, it'll become tough and chewy.

It's lean, don't over cook it

This equates to an internal temperature of 57°C/135°F if you're using a meat thermometer.

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution. 2. Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely.

Many hunters suggest soaking your game meat in vinegar. However, vinegar's acidity can often dry the meat, making it especially tough. Instead, try soaking the meat in milk or even buttermilk, which will produce better results with most wild animals, especially when dealing with backstraps.

Buying farm-raised venison like this roasted tenderloin is one option for taming the gaminess of deer meat, but it isn't the only option. Many cooks swear by a method of soaking the meat in saltwater overnight, then in milk to draw out the gamy flavor.

This is one of the worst things to do to any animal carcass after its slaughter. Putting the meat in water allows bacteria (primarily E. coli) to grow and spread over the entire carcass.